1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to shelf-supporting devices and is directed more particularly to an adjustable bracket assembly adapted to securely support shelving of various sizes and configurations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Shelf-supporting brackets of the type finding utility in retail outlets are generally well known and various embodiments are adapted to operate under given conditions.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,321,089, issued May 23, 1967 to G. Krikorian is illustrative of a shelf-supporting bracket comprising an arm having notches therein suited for receiving flexible wires of a wire shelf. Other examples of brackets adapted for use with wire shelving include U.S. Pat. No. 3,355,134, issued Nov. 28, 1967 to R. G. Chesley, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,565,381, issued Feb. 23, 1971 to Earl J. Oliver, both of which show the use of fasteners, or clamps, on bracket members to secure wire portions of shelving thereto. The fasteners may be moved about upon the brackets to provide for adjustability and thereby attain a degree of usefulness not found in the Krikorian device.
Other embodiments of adjustable shelf supports are found in U.S. Pat. No. 1,702,937, issued Feb. 19, 1929 to M. M. Friedemann, and U.S. Pat. No. 1,779,236, issued Oct. 21, 1930 to J. A. Hoegger. In Friedemann, a slide member is mounted on a bracket arm and used in conjunction with an "angle member" to squeeze opposite edges of a shelf therebetween. The bracket arm and angle member are both mounted upon a vertical standard. In Hoegger, a shelf supporting arm has a notch on its upper edge, and a spring-biased extension protruding from the free end thereof, the extension having a notch opposed to the arm notch, such that a shelf may be gripped at opposite edges by the two notches, under a spring bias. Neither Friedemann nor Hoegger is directed specifically to wire shelving.
In U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 593,665, filed Mar. 26, 1984, in the name of Arthur R. Mastrodicasa, there is disclosed an adjustable bracket assemply for use with wire shelving in which the wire members are substantially rigid. The assembly includes an arm, a slide member slidably mounted on the arm, and a lock means for locking the arm and slide member in a selected position suitable for a selected shelf. The assembly is capable of use independently of additional fastening structures, such as angle members, clamps, and the like.